Dr. J. Marion Sims, a mid 19th century physician, is known as the “father of modern gynecology.” He conducted experiments that led to the creation of the duckbill speculum, the sigmoid catheter, and various vaginal procedures—many of which are still used today. Sims was viewed as noble for extending his care to women, and especially women of various racial and class backgrounds, something uncommon at the time. But the story of modern gynecology is much less rosy than this narrative suggests. Sims conducted experiments on enslaved Black women. He did not use anesthesia because of the racist idea that Black people could not experience pain. In fact, Sims described Lucy, one of the enslaved women upon whom he operated, as bearing the procedure “with great heroism and bravery.” In the past several years, scholars, activists, and artists have demanded the removal of public statues of Sims and have created monuments to honor the “mothers of modern gynecology,” the enslaved women upon whom Sims experimented.